As much as 30 percent of the human-caused carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere is absorbed by oceans. That causes a chemical reaction that makes seawater more acidic, making it harder for organisms to form shells.

As much as 30 percent of the human-caused carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere is absorbed by oceans. That causes a chemical reaction that makes seawater more acidic, making it harder for organisms to form shells.

Some of the highest levels of acidification in the world have been recorded on the West Coast.

Low-oxygen, or hypoxia, conditions also are increasing in the North Pacific, stressing Dungeness crab, pink shrimp, Pacific halibut, salmon and oysters.

“These are five of Oregon’s most important species, and they are all in the crosshairs for this issue,” Caren Braby, Marine Resources Program manager for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, told a Senate committee.

The funding proposal was written by the Oregon Coordinating Council on Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia, a task force created by the Legislature in 2017.

Its members spent a year studying the issue and last fall finished a report and action plan.

Extreme acidification and hypoxia events have been increasing in Oregon’s estuaries and nearshore waters, home to major fisheries, mariculture operations and nursery grounds for economically important species, the report’s authors wrote.

Most research, however, has been conducted further offshore.

“The result is a precarious information gap for the area that is currently experiencing ocean acidification and hypoxia,” the authors wrote.

The bill includes funding for monitoring projects in Oregon’s estuaries and nearshore waters.

Here’s how the money would be spent:

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife would receive $470,000 for estuary mapping and assessments.